The Man Behind the White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting
United States – April 26, American media confirmed the identity of the shooter: a 31-year-old mechanical engineer and video game developer from California named Cole Tomas Allen, whose actions plunged the White House Correspondents' Dinner—attended by President Trump—into chaos.
Hours after a shooting occurred outside the banquet hall on Saturday, President Trump shared a photo of the suspect, handcuffed and face-down on a carpet. Multiple U.S. media outlets cited law enforcement sources stating that the man, with brown hair, is Cole Tomas Allen, 31, residing in Torrance, a southwestern suburb of Los Angeles, California. Torrance is a coastal city located in the southwestern part of Los Angeles County, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News the suspect had attempted to forcibly pass through a metal detector at the hall’s entrance and left behind a manifesto. Trump said, "When you read his manifesto, you will see beyond any doubt that he harbors hatred toward Christians," and described him as "obviously extremely unstable mentally."
According to the New York Post, the suspect sent a manifesto to his family minutes before launching the attack, declaring his intent to kill members of the Trump administration and labeling them "criminals."
– Video Game Developer –
The manifesto, obtained by the newspaper from an anonymous U.S. official, begins with: "These are the targets, ranked by position."
The text, signed "Cole 'Cold Steel' 'Friendly Federal Assassin' Allen," appears to reference civilian casualties in U.S.-led wars, Trump's anti-immigration policies, and the scandal surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A profile under the name "Cold Steel" was registered on the BlueSky platform, which has since been deactivated but archived, featuring frequent posts expressing anger toward Trump administration policies.
An LinkedIn profile titled "Cole Allen" displays a photo of a man who closely matches the individual shown in Trump’s photograph. The profile describes Allen as an engineer passionate about video game development, living in the Los Angeles area.
The profile states: "Background in mechanical and computer engineering, experience in independent game development, natural teacher." Caltech issued a statement to AFP confirming that a person named Cole Allen graduated from the institution in 2017, but could not confirm whether this was the suspect.
– "Prodigy" –
Last year, Cole Allen posted a photo of himself wearing academic regalia and a graduation cap, indicating he had earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The university also confirmed to AFP that they indeed have a graduate with the same name, though they could not verify if it is the same individual. Allen also released an indie game he developed called "Bohrdom," described as a "skill-based, non-violent" fighting game. C2 Education, a test preparation institution based in Torrance, featured Allen as "Teacher of the Month" in an Instagram post from December 2024. The post shows a man with brown hair, smiling, wearing a navy zip-up sweater, hands clasped behind his back. According to NBC News, Allen attended Pacific Lutheran High School in a Los Angeles suburb and was a member of the school’s volleyball team.
A former teammate described him as “nearly genius” and “very composed.” This teammate told NBC: “Others needed to spend a lot of time studying, but he didn’t. Everything came naturally to him. He’s really, really smart.”
According to Federal Election Commission records reviewed by AFP, a person named Cole Allen (allegedly a teacher at C2 Education in Torrance) donated $25 to a campaign fundraising group supporting Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who lost the presidential election to Trump.
Source: rfi
White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Incident
Original: toutiao.com/article/1863579257258185/
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